Discussion on:

Rooting your Android phone: Balancing risk with freedom

There should be a switch that allows the user to move to full rights.

I have started reading things online on rooting my phone in the last couple days, so it is funny this came up on TR. My reason for wanting to root my phone and install a new ROM is mostly for battery power. People have reported getting more than double the time out of my phone's battery. Right now, without much use, I get less than 16 hours on a full charge. My carrier hasn't expressed any interest in updating the phone to anything above FroYo either, so if I want Gingerbread, I'll have to root it.

I have multiple android devices - 2 tablets and 2 phones. All are rooted. I find pleasure in tinkering with stuff. Rooting Android is one of those pleasures. That said, I agree that rooting is for those that want to (with the technical prowess), not for the masses. I did find it interesting that carriers will remove or hide standard functions (installation of software from Unknown Sources). And BTW, my Motorola Milestone/Droid did have the option available but I'm in an area where there are very few big name carriers (ATT is the only non-local here). So I doubt my local carrier is putting in much effort to customize the phones other than leaving the same old OS on it for years. That was the main reason for me to root - get Gingerbread. Did you happen to see the iPhone/Android comparison in regards to support & updates? http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support

I rooted my Droid 2 within the first month I had it. I was annoyed with all the bloatware Verizion installed by default, and while I could remove some applications on my own, several others (BlockBuster, CityID, etc.) could not be removed without having root access. Once the phone was rooted, I felt it really was MY Phone, and I immediately removed the bloatware, installed a tethering app, better video apps and modified the features I wanted to control. I also appreciated the option to un-Root the phone as necessary. Unfortunately, now that Verizon has tried to push a Gingerbread update to me (many months after all other phones from my devices' generation were updated), the update fails to load. I have tried to un-root, but this did not work. Haven't yet bricked my device, but may try the Cyanogen Mod as an alternative (I have not yet tried installing any custom ROMS). Still, I am happy I rooted the device because I learned so much in the process.

I root my phone to install a custom Recovery + custom HBOOT + custom ROM. With custom recovery, I get to make a backup image of my phone similar to Norton Ghost/VSS which is really great in case I decide to fall back. Custom HBoot give me access to change my partition table giving me more space on where I need them and less where I don need them. Custom ROM gives me better usability, better customizations, better stability and whatever the OEMers fail to provide.

Interesting about the ability to image the phone OS. I was not too concerned about that, until you mentioned it.

By rooting my phone (an LG Ally that Verizon seemed to forget that they were supporting because I never got OTA updates), I was able to uninstall Verizon crapware, update to a more recent Android build than VZ had released for the phone, and then replace that with an even more custom-designed ROM tailored to best use the Ally's hardware and which came with what the ROM dev team considered the best-of-breed apps for daily functionality. Plus, I was able to install a theme set that implemented the new design elements for Android 4.0. It went from being a good-but-aging phone to a great phone that has improved battery life, more storage, no-cost tethering, easy system mods (I can overclock using scripts through a terminal interface now), and it's supported not by VZ call center drones but by a few real-world experts who know all of the ins and outs of the ROM and the device. I've sent beer money their way as my personal thanks, but this is work that they're doing because it's there and they want to excel. Was there risk involved? Yes, but the install guide walked me through the process and I learned details about how Android works while I was at it.

I want to root my phone because I was attending a funeral service and realized my phone was on. My phone makes the most annoying very loud noise when turning on and off. I researched how to disable this or turn it down. Nothing built-in, and one app that will handle it but needs to run constantly.
I never cared to root my phone before the funeral incident. There are some apps installed that I don't care for, but I don't use them.
All phones, all devices, should come standard with some form of management mode.